Apple Patents A Smarter, More Accurate Wrist-Based Activity Tracker

0

Apple has applied for a patent for an improved wearable pedometer design, according to a new filing published by the USPTO today (via AppleInsider). The filing describes a way to vastly improve accuracy on wearable step counters, by determining where a user is wearing it and adjusting the way it analyzes movement as a result.

The patent specifically details automatic detection of when it’s on a person’s wrist, and when a person starts to run, making it less susceptible to false positives caused by arm motion. The device could also determine when it’s being worn on a person’s trunk, at or near the waist, and instead of using arm motion to determine movement, would rely on the changes in gravity that occur when a person pushes off for a step vs. when they’re at rest.

Apple’s filing goes into a lot of technical detail, but the key takeaway is that this is tech we could easily see integrated into a wearable device like an iWatch, or a standalone accessory more akin to a Jawbone UP or Fitbit. It’s interesting to think that Apple might be considering both avenues, especially given that rival Samsung has just introduced a series of wearable devices including the Gear Fit, and others like LG and Sony are introducing dedicated activity trackers.